The Punxsutawney Spirit

How routine physical activity affects mental health

The physical changes people experience after committing to routine physical activity are visible to the naked eye. After making such a commitment, particular­ly if one is accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle, people may shed a noticeable amount of weight, move more quickly and even appear younger, a change that is perhaps related to the positive effects exercise has on sleep.

Less noticeable but no less advantageo­us are the mental health benefits associated with routine exercise. According to the Mental Health Foundation, physical activity releases chemicals in the brain that positively affect mood, thus making exercise a tool anyone can utilize to improve their mental health. As individual­s ponder the benefits of physical activity, they can keep the following ways exercise affects mental health in mind.

• Exercise and stress reduction: A 2022 Gallup poll found that 40 percent of adults worldwide experience­d a lot of stress. The poll asked adults in 142 countries and areas, which underscore­s the significan­ce of stress as a legitimate global health concern. The MHF notes that the most common physical signs of stress include difficulty sleeping, sweating and loss of appetite, symptoms that are triggered by a flood of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenal­ine released in the body. Those hormones increase blood pressure and heart rate. Exercise can help to alleviate stress, and the MHF notes that adults who are highly active have been found to have lower rates of stress than those who live more sedentary lifestyles.

• Exercise and selfesteem: A 2022 study published in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness compared 352 participan­ts between the ages of 20 and 40 who regularly exercised at least two days per week for the previous six months with 350 similarly aged sedentary individual­s. The study assessed various characteri­stics of each group and researcher­s ultimately concluded that those who exercised had higher levels of selfesteem than those who did not. As a result, the authors behind the study recommende­d exercise as a preferred method to increase self-esteem.

• Exercise and depression: A systematic review and network metaanalys­is of randomized control trials found that exercise is an effective treatment for depression.

That review and analysis, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The BMJ in 2024, reviewed 218 unique studies involving more than 14,000 participan­ts. Walking, jogging, yoga, and strength training were found to be especially effective at treating depression, which the World Health Organizati­on estimates affects about 280 million people worldwide.

The physical benefits of routine physical activity may be most noticeable. However, regular exercise also has a profound effect on individual­s’ mental health.